The invention concerns a container closure for a container suitable for accepting liquids, creams, or pourable materials, with a closure head made from plastic to open and close the container, a container aperture having an opening, a closing component of the closure head cooperating with the opening, and a pivoted coupling for the closing component. This type of plastic container is produced in a variety of different embodiments for cosmetic products, for food products and for technical applications. It is thereby important for the material to be kept in the container to be removed therefrom, in particular, in a natural fashion. The invention is also based on a type of container with which, due to the elasticity of the container wall, the material being contained can be pressed out via pressure applied to the container. The container closure with which the invention is concerned is therefore not restricted to small containers, rather extends both to tubes as well as to large containers. The container can be emptied via a container opening, wherein the container opening is directly disposed on the container or can simply be attached to same, e.g. by means of screwing, frictional fit or the like. Independent thereof, this container opening ends in a portion cooperating with the closure component of the closure head to close same. Whereas the closure head and container can be made from different materials, the components of the closure head including the pivoted coupling are preferentially made from the same plastic in order to gain the associated advantages during recycling of the plastic. This however does not mean that such a container could not also be a reusable container.
In a conventional container of this kind of which the invention is concerned (EP 004 615 B1), a container aperture having an opening is disposed on the upper wall surface facing the container head and the wall surface is completely covered by a cap-like closure head. A joint hinge constitutes a pivoted coupling and is disposed on a portion of this surface separated from the container aperture for facilitating pivoting away of this cap. A bushing is disposed on the inner side of this cap facing the neck which, when the cap is closed, is clipped over the container aperture to close same. Since both the cap and the container are made from the same plastic material, sorted recycling is possible. The mounting of the cap to the container is primarily advantageous for directed and simple closure with which the bushing can be clipped over the container aperture and, due to the conical shape, connected together.
Container materials can gain entrance to the volume between the container wall surface and the inner side of the lid when the closure head is opened. In addition, depending on production tolerances, the clamping connection causes the container to be difficult to open, particularly since the cap can not be rotated relative to the container due to its connection to same.
A container also known in the art (U.S. Pat. No. 5,358,154) with which a closing element can be moved from an opened into a closed position. A flexible region is thereby provided in the container wall whose thickness is less than that of the other portions of the container wall. This flexible region thereby functions as a hinge to facilitate pivoting of the closing element. This closing element thereby disadvantageously functions merely as a lid closing the container opening and not as a closure head surroundingly engaging the container opening.